Well, it’s been a long time coming, folks, but here it is: the last story in my Spindle City series. I’ve been working on writing and rewriting this fairy tale noir trilogy all year, so it’s a little weird to see the big conclusion go up. (And if you’re interested in reading the thought process behind it, go here to look at my last Inspirations & Influences essay.)

A brief plot synopsis, once again stolen from The Book Smugglers:

You can read “The Long and Silent Ever After” for free here, or you can go to the same link, scroll to the end, and buy the ebook for $2.99. Benefits of purchasing: I GET MONEY. But more importantly, the ebook comes with bonus features, like Case Files, a helpful glossary, and an additional short story from Jack’s POV called “The Stakeout Blues.”

I’m pretty proud of this series. It’s my first time I’ve ever been solicited to write anything at all, and it’s also the first time I’ve tried my hand at this kind of serialized storytelling. It was a big learning experience for me, and sometimes I definitely wanted to tear my hair out. Mostly, though, I had a blast. Egotistical, possibly, but I kind of love Spindle City, and someday, I would very much like to go back.

No, it’s a different story. The first Jack story takes place in between “The Case of the Little Bloody Slipper” and “The Price You Pay is Red.” The second Jack story takes place after “The Long and Silent Ever After.”